A good summary. The trial that will start on Monday is not about Trump paying hush money to a porn star with whom he had sexual relations (aka adulatory) shortly after his wife gave birth to his son. It is instead about election interference and the falsification of business records in order to commit a crime. I know the media short hand is “hush money trial”, but that is really misleading.
As for the AZ republicans and DJT running for cover, don’t let them! They are all on record in favor of this exact event. Hold their collective feet to the fire and roast them all in November!
Trump Trial #1, Monday is the day Trump loses his freedom to wander about aimlessly instilling chaos via his TS hate machine
He MUST now report to his court desk every day that court is in session, from 9-5, imprisoned by circumstances that HE brought to bear, forgoing campaign propaganda rallies and being exposed by the proceedings as the criminal he has always been
9am? What time will he have to get up to allow for hair and makeup? Or will he just stay up all night “truthing”? Golly, as if life weren’t tough enough.
Suppose Trump contravenes the gag order on the steps of the Court after the first day, and the judge's only remedy is a trivial fine, or putting Trump in sequestration. Trump would love to go to jail for a few days, to inflame his fund-raising and the MAGA frenzy. Maybe mostly important, his jailing would dominate the press completely, obliterating whatever testimony which would otherwise would be big news that day.
So my thought was that Sky777 intended what they wrote.. that tffg was admiring her or worshipping her physical form (adulation in a sarcastic way?) ... but maybe they meant to use the actual word for what tffg was doing as a married man, lacking any moral compass.
edit: didn't want to be nitpicky but "sexual relations" is not "aka adulatory"/adultery - and perhaps I should delete all that since I didn't expect the comment to spawn its own thread.
IMO you are 100% right that the trial is about election interference and not the hush money to sex workers, but most people think all politics is a dirty game and anything goes so it is no big deal that one does whatever they can to win. Cheating on your wife who just had your child is so yucky and salacious that most people will not see that as understandable and forgivable. I think in the court of public opinion that is where he is more likely to be found guilty. I hope the media feasts on the disgusting sexual aspect of this case.
Responsible people understand the 45th president's fallacies and self-gratifying behaviors due to his malignant narcissism. His 88 indictments are a demonstration of his actions based on his emotional needs and ignoring the law. He needed Daniels to remain quiet due to his statement about attacking women because "they let you" to keep his voters engaged with him. And, he covered it up with nefarious or very questionable records. He committed a crime by doing so.
Good title for today's issue, Biden's Steady Hand. So grateful for *your* steady and consistent calming voice (virtual not literal (but accurately "literal" since I read rather than listen to the audio version of your writings)). Thank you for being here, and for the unseen but greatly appreciated hours you have put into your Substack, and for the support of your managing editor.
I must say that I did chuckle out loud at this sentence:
"We should expect Trump's Truth Social feed to be so hot over the weekend that it will catch fire."
I look forward to reading your next few editions with cautious guilty glee... as it feels indecent to wish the worst on tffg, yet after all he has put this country through, and his repeated but unpunished betrayals and deceits, there is a faint hope that he may still wind up bearing the consequences of his cruelties and never-ending lies.
Yes.I agree with your statement that this piece is a “ calming voice”.I appreciate reading it daily.Thanks so much ,Robert.I am going to use this weekend as a restorative niche to gather strength to face the challenges that these next days may bring.
Speaking of Truth Social…Dream For America https://dream4america.org/ is effectively using multiple social media platforms, including TS.
William He,the young dynamic student and founder of D4A recently spoke with my activist group.This younger Gen org is on fire 🔥 and taking on the far-right youth group,Turning Point USA.
D4A is also part of the coalition endorsing Students for Biden/Harris.
📣Please share/amplify/support if you’re able.📣
Our Impact
* 50+ million impressions & accounts reached across social media
* recruited hundreds of volunteers spanning 35+ states
* out-raising Turning Point USA’s first year fundraising 2-to-1 in just 6 months
* chapter presence coast to coast
* investing in youth engagement in swing states
* nearly HALF of our team represent swing-states or red-states
* 43% of our volunteers identify as LGBTQ+
* average grassroots contribution of $27
* broad Gen-Z support for our Zoomer’s New Deal & our general messaging that transcends demographics, party affiliation, & political ideology
* assembled a board of advisors composed of industry leading political strategists, community leaders, & elected officials
Thanks for the pointer, Kathy. I spent some time looking at their website and watched their introductory video. It looks like an interesting group. Given the importance of community in keeping activists engaged, a youth-initiated group is likely to be more successful in involving new members and maintaining their energy. I really hope this takes off and sent a few $$. I like how they re-take expressions like America First and effectively use the American flag in the introductory video. Some of their choices I could quibble with, but then again the communication is not directed at me. I’d be interested to see what some of their posts on social media are like and what kind of uptake they get.
Thank you Kathy! I didn't know about this group - it sounds awesome! I've set up a monthly donation (very small) to let them know I am so happy they are there. I'm also going to see if Markersfordemocracy.org, my home grassroots group, knows about them. I love this community!! Blessings,
'Steve Bannon—an attack dog for Trump—' is not just an attack dog. I think he is one of the most dangerous men attacking democracy. Always hiding behind a person like Trump, not a dog but a mind influencing him and using him as long as Trump doesn't fall. His group has already successes in Poland, Hungary, Czechia and the Netherlands. He knows exactly how and when to spread propaganda, where the weak spots are. I wish that he was more exposed but how? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Movement_(right-wing_populist_group)
You are absolutely right, Elisabeth. And when using the picture of the attack dog I am not so sure who is who on the end of the leash. Bannon undoubtedly is an important part of the brains behind the pied piper. His early departure from the White House in 2017 was most probably engineered as he was more useful scheming and spreading his venom from outside the administration.
It also freed him early on to pursue his efforts of creating an international fascist movement. Currently he is exploring the possibility of a podcast 'War Room Berlin' in 2025 to support the German right wing 'Alternative for Germany' party.
We are fortunate to have Joe Biden as our President and I hope voters are going to finally appreciate his leadership and humanity. As Trump spirals out of control during his trial I hope Biden makes many public appearances so voters can do a side by side comparison of the two candidates and make the right decision.
As I move into each weekend, I wean myself from on air news. Your newsletter today, read in the morning on purpose, is exceptional in its wrap up of the political news. I see that I need to go back a day while I have the emotional stamina to read the one from yesterday about new gun control issues established by Biden. I happily updated my credit card, too, and continued my paid membership status. It’s so clear that what you put together for us takes full work days. Enjoy your day off, Robert, even though I know writers are still ruminating and planning on those days, too 😃 Thank you for what you are doing for all of us.
I keep saying--Biden's the best president of my lifetime! Thank you Robert for giving us more evidence that Biden's doing an amazing job! We ARE damn lucky to have him. And this sentence was hilarious: "We should expect Trump's Truth Social feed to be so hot over the weekend that it will catch fire."
Here in Massachusetts, Monday marks Patriots Day (also in Maine, which was part of Massachusetts until 1820), to commemorate the day when a handful of colonists challenged the most powerful empire in the world for “the rights of Englishmen.” Today, the holiday is almost all about the Boston Marathon, but it’s good to take time to recall the courage and fortitude of our first patriots, who were willing to give their lives for democracy.
When I lived in Arlington (sort of next-door to Boston), the Native Americans used the day to have a celebration. I thought that was pretty cool, although the fact that they held it in the Arlington burial ground was ... an interesting choice!
Are you sure it was Patriots Day and not Not-Columbus Day (as October 12th has been re-named)? (It's really been re-named Indigenous People's Day, which is an awful name. "Hey, Herb, what're you doing for Indigenous People's Day weekend?")
Yes, I am, because it was such an interesting day for me. It fell on my birthday, which was the 1st time I had a birthday in MA (I'm a San Franciscan, but was going to grad school), and my 1st experience of Patriots Day. So it really struck me. Meanwhile, I hadn't heard of "Not-Columbus Day" - cute!
I just had a revelation this morning… right here right now. What a saner, kinder, more well-informed citizenry we would be if Robert Hubbell’s Today’s Edition were the front page of our daily newspaper/newsfeed.
I can’t thank you enough for Today’s Edition once again today. 💙
Great, calming newsletter, except, of course, for the Iran/Israel story. That is frightening, and would be terrible with so much turbulence in the area.
On a positive note, I plan to work on registering high school students through the Civics Center. Thanks for including info about that opportunity. Action quiets fear! This is something I feel strongly about. Getting the youth vote out would add that many more votes for Biden, I think/hope.
Today Robert says:“we are in the capable hands of a president who rises to the moment without drama, self-inflicted controversy, or ego. Not everyone in America agrees with all of Biden’s decisions, but at this fraught moment in our history, we are fortunate to have a president who leads with a steady hand while surrounded by competent advisers.”
Not a sexy message that will get the MSM excited but truly the essence of the case for the re-election of Joe Biden. Making false and outlandish claims is not the way to govern. But that’s what the MSM likes to cover. In addition to competency Democrats need sex appeal. Where and from whom to get it is above my pay grade. But I know we need it.
I'd observe that while certainly true that "In short, securing the extension of Section 702 was a significant achievement by President Biden." It's also an achievement for Mike Johnson. Despite screams of agony from the overwhelmingly venal Freedom Caucus, doing what he did is actually his job. He's Speaker of the House, not GOP Majority Leader - who happens to be Steve Scalise (R, LA 1st District). If you note that the GOP House and Senate are led by Southerners, it's interesting.
Your letter today, Robert, fills me with hope, gratitude, and knowledge. Thank you! On to continue the work of keeping our government safe from the traitors!
I just read the latest NYTs/Sienna poll. At the end they briefly reviewed their methodology. I question the reliability of a poll where only about 1% answer the phone. How can anyone speculate as to how the other 99% would respond. I think a better headline than something about Biden is improving would be “In the latest poll we had a 1% response rate so don’t take us too seriously.”
“We spoke with 1,059 registered voters from April 7 to 11, 2024.
Our polls are conducted by telephone, using live interviewers, in both English and Spanish. More than 95 percent of respondents were contacted on a cellphone for this poll.
Voters are selected for the survey from a list of registered voters. The list contains information on the demographic characteristics of every registered voter, allowing us to make sure we reach the right number of voters of each party, race and region. For this poll, we placed nearly 127,000 calls to more than 93,000 voters.”
A good summary. The trial that will start on Monday is not about Trump paying hush money to a porn star with whom he had sexual relations (aka adulatory) shortly after his wife gave birth to his son. It is instead about election interference and the falsification of business records in order to commit a crime. I know the media short hand is “hush money trial”, but that is really misleading.
As for the AZ republicans and DJT running for cover, don’t let them! They are all on record in favor of this exact event. Hold their collective feet to the fire and roast them all in November!
Trump Trial #1, Monday is the day Trump loses his freedom to wander about aimlessly instilling chaos via his TS hate machine
He MUST now report to his court desk every day that court is in session, from 9-5, imprisoned by circumstances that HE brought to bear, forgoing campaign propaganda rallies and being exposed by the proceedings as the criminal he has always been
A pox of boils on his butt
9am? What time will he have to get up to allow for hair and makeup? Or will he just stay up all night “truthing”? Golly, as if life weren’t tough enough.
Suppose Trump contravenes the gag order on the steps of the Court after the first day, and the judge's only remedy is a trivial fine, or putting Trump in sequestration. Trump would love to go to jail for a few days, to inflame his fund-raising and the MAGA frenzy. Maybe mostly important, his jailing would dominate the press completely, obliterating whatever testimony which would otherwise would be big news that day.
"adultery" ?
Were you asking about "adulatory?" I had to look it up - it means praising. So maybe you were asking if Sky777 meant adultery?
So my thought was that Sky777 intended what they wrote.. that tffg was admiring her or worshipping her physical form (adulation in a sarcastic way?) ... but maybe they meant to use the actual word for what tffg was doing as a married man, lacking any moral compass.
edit: didn't want to be nitpicky but "sexual relations" is not "aka adulatory"/adultery - and perhaps I should delete all that since I didn't expect the comment to spawn its own thread.
Why the question mark?
IMO you are 100% right that the trial is about election interference and not the hush money to sex workers, but most people think all politics is a dirty game and anything goes so it is no big deal that one does whatever they can to win. Cheating on your wife who just had your child is so yucky and salacious that most people will not see that as understandable and forgivable. I think in the court of public opinion that is where he is more likely to be found guilty. I hope the media feasts on the disgusting sexual aspect of this case.
Responsible people understand the 45th president's fallacies and self-gratifying behaviors due to his malignant narcissism. His 88 indictments are a demonstration of his actions based on his emotional needs and ignoring the law. He needed Daniels to remain quiet due to his statement about attacking women because "they let you" to keep his voters engaged with him. And, he covered it up with nefarious or very questionable records. He committed a crime by doing so.
Good title for today's issue, Biden's Steady Hand. So grateful for *your* steady and consistent calming voice (virtual not literal (but accurately "literal" since I read rather than listen to the audio version of your writings)). Thank you for being here, and for the unseen but greatly appreciated hours you have put into your Substack, and for the support of your managing editor.
I must say that I did chuckle out loud at this sentence:
"We should expect Trump's Truth Social feed to be so hot over the weekend that it will catch fire."
I look forward to reading your next few editions with cautious guilty glee... as it feels indecent to wish the worst on tffg, yet after all he has put this country through, and his repeated but unpunished betrayals and deceits, there is a faint hope that he may still wind up bearing the consequences of his cruelties and never-ending lies.
Yes.I agree with your statement that this piece is a “ calming voice”.I appreciate reading it daily.Thanks so much ,Robert.I am going to use this weekend as a restorative niche to gather strength to face the challenges that these next days may bring.
I wonder how many more people repeat "Trump hates dogs" that heat up Trump Social?
Speaking of Truth Social…Dream For America https://dream4america.org/ is effectively using multiple social media platforms, including TS.
William He,the young dynamic student and founder of D4A recently spoke with my activist group.This younger Gen org is on fire 🔥 and taking on the far-right youth group,Turning Point USA.
D4A is also part of the coalition endorsing Students for Biden/Harris.
📣Please share/amplify/support if you’re able.📣
Our Impact
* 50+ million impressions & accounts reached across social media
* recruited hundreds of volunteers spanning 35+ states
* out-raising Turning Point USA’s first year fundraising 2-to-1 in just 6 months
* chapter presence coast to coast
* investing in youth engagement in swing states
* nearly HALF of our team represent swing-states or red-states
* 43% of our volunteers identify as LGBTQ+
* average grassroots contribution of $27
* broad Gen-Z support for our Zoomer’s New Deal & our general messaging that transcends demographics, party affiliation, & political ideology
* assembled a board of advisors composed of industry leading political strategists, community leaders, & elected officials
💪💙
Thanks for the pointer, Kathy. I spent some time looking at their website and watched their introductory video. It looks like an interesting group. Given the importance of community in keeping activists engaged, a youth-initiated group is likely to be more successful in involving new members and maintaining their energy. I really hope this takes off and sent a few $$. I like how they re-take expressions like America First and effectively use the American flag in the introductory video. Some of their choices I could quibble with, but then again the communication is not directed at me. I’d be interested to see what some of their posts on social media are like and what kind of uptake they get.
Important note-they are known on social media sites as "DreamForAmerica" not "Dream4America". It took a while for me to find their posts.
Thanks, Barbara!
Thanks, Kathy. The more encouragement this group and others get, the more they can do!
Thank you Kathy! I didn't know about this group - it sounds awesome! I've set up a monthly donation (very small) to let them know I am so happy they are there. I'm also going to see if Markersfordemocracy.org, my home grassroots group, knows about them. I love this community!! Blessings,
Chaplain Terry, I always love the energy you bring…thank you!💙
Our future -and theirs - rests in the hands of young people like these. I’ve contributed.
'Steve Bannon—an attack dog for Trump—' is not just an attack dog. I think he is one of the most dangerous men attacking democracy. Always hiding behind a person like Trump, not a dog but a mind influencing him and using him as long as Trump doesn't fall. His group has already successes in Poland, Hungary, Czechia and the Netherlands. He knows exactly how and when to spread propaganda, where the weak spots are. I wish that he was more exposed but how? https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Movement_(right-wing_populist_group)
His influence is relatively small and remember he is doing all of this for the money.
Bannon doesn’t need money. He’s rich. He does evil things because he believes in them … and he has fun.
Then why did he try and defraud people with invest in the wall scheme.
As I said, he has fun (not our kind of fun). Bannon apparently enjoys it.
Ironic because Trump hates dogs.
Bannon the Big BM. In time, The hands of justice will flush back into his sewer. That, or the Scotch will.
I recognized his ugliness early on, Elizabeth. Why is he still not in jail? He is evil.
You are absolutely right, Elisabeth. And when using the picture of the attack dog I am not so sure who is who on the end of the leash. Bannon undoubtedly is an important part of the brains behind the pied piper. His early departure from the White House in 2017 was most probably engineered as he was more useful scheming and spreading his venom from outside the administration.
It also freed him early on to pursue his efforts of creating an international fascist movement. Currently he is exploring the possibility of a podcast 'War Room Berlin' in 2025 to support the German right wing 'Alternative for Germany' party.
OMG! We must bury these people in November!
We are fortunate to have Joe Biden as our President and I hope voters are going to finally appreciate his leadership and humanity. As Trump spirals out of control during his trial I hope Biden makes many public appearances so voters can do a side by side comparison of the two candidates and make the right decision.
It's an unmistakable image, if only the right people are watching!
I'm so concerned that a health issue might push off the Trump trial in NYC. I heard his bone spurs were acting up.
Let's encourage voters to look toward the FUTURE they would like to see,,
rather than go BACKWARD to days when women lacked the vote and people were owned and abused.
The GOP truly has overextended their "hand."
As I move into each weekend, I wean myself from on air news. Your newsletter today, read in the morning on purpose, is exceptional in its wrap up of the political news. I see that I need to go back a day while I have the emotional stamina to read the one from yesterday about new gun control issues established by Biden. I happily updated my credit card, too, and continued my paid membership status. It’s so clear that what you put together for us takes full work days. Enjoy your day off, Robert, even though I know writers are still ruminating and planning on those days, too 😃 Thank you for what you are doing for all of us.
I keep saying--Biden's the best president of my lifetime! Thank you Robert for giving us more evidence that Biden's doing an amazing job! We ARE damn lucky to have him. And this sentence was hilarious: "We should expect Trump's Truth Social feed to be so hot over the weekend that it will catch fire."
Conflagration at Mar a Lago! News at 11!
Here in Massachusetts, Monday marks Patriots Day (also in Maine, which was part of Massachusetts until 1820), to commemorate the day when a handful of colonists challenged the most powerful empire in the world for “the rights of Englishmen.” Today, the holiday is almost all about the Boston Marathon, but it’s good to take time to recall the courage and fortitude of our first patriots, who were willing to give their lives for democracy.
When I lived in Arlington (sort of next-door to Boston), the Native Americans used the day to have a celebration. I thought that was pretty cool, although the fact that they held it in the Arlington burial ground was ... an interesting choice!
Are you sure it was Patriots Day and not Not-Columbus Day (as October 12th has been re-named)? (It's really been re-named Indigenous People's Day, which is an awful name. "Hey, Herb, what're you doing for Indigenous People's Day weekend?")
Yes, I am, because it was such an interesting day for me. It fell on my birthday, which was the 1st time I had a birthday in MA (I'm a San Franciscan, but was going to grad school), and my 1st experience of Patriots Day. So it really struck me. Meanwhile, I hadn't heard of "Not-Columbus Day" - cute!
I just had a revelation this morning… right here right now. What a saner, kinder, more well-informed citizenry we would be if Robert Hubbell’s Today’s Edition were the front page of our daily newspaper/newsfeed.
I can’t thank you enough for Today’s Edition once again today. 💙
Great, calming newsletter, except, of course, for the Iran/Israel story. That is frightening, and would be terrible with so much turbulence in the area.
On a positive note, I plan to work on registering high school students through the Civics Center. Thanks for including info about that opportunity. Action quiets fear! This is something I feel strongly about. Getting the youth vote out would add that many more votes for Biden, I think/hope.
Today Robert says:“we are in the capable hands of a president who rises to the moment without drama, self-inflicted controversy, or ego. Not everyone in America agrees with all of Biden’s decisions, but at this fraught moment in our history, we are fortunate to have a president who leads with a steady hand while surrounded by competent advisers.”
Not a sexy message that will get the MSM excited but truly the essence of the case for the re-election of Joe Biden. Making false and outlandish claims is not the way to govern. But that’s what the MSM likes to cover. In addition to competency Democrats need sex appeal. Where and from whom to get it is above my pay grade. But I know we need it.
I'd observe that while certainly true that "In short, securing the extension of Section 702 was a significant achievement by President Biden." It's also an achievement for Mike Johnson. Despite screams of agony from the overwhelmingly venal Freedom Caucus, doing what he did is actually his job. He's Speaker of the House, not GOP Majority Leader - who happens to be Steve Scalise (R, LA 1st District). If you note that the GOP House and Senate are led by Southerners, it's interesting.
Your letter today, Robert, fills me with hope, gratitude, and knowledge. Thank you! On to continue the work of keeping our government safe from the traitors!
I just read the latest NYTs/Sienna poll. At the end they briefly reviewed their methodology. I question the reliability of a poll where only about 1% answer the phone. How can anyone speculate as to how the other 99% would respond. I think a better headline than something about Biden is improving would be “In the latest poll we had a 1% response rate so don’t take us too seriously.”
“We spoke with 1,059 registered voters from April 7 to 11, 2024.
Our polls are conducted by telephone, using live interviewers, in both English and Spanish. More than 95 percent of respondents were contacted on a cellphone for this poll.
Voters are selected for the survey from a list of registered voters. The list contains information on the demographic characteristics of every registered voter, allowing us to make sure we reach the right number of voters of each party, race and region. For this poll, we placed nearly 127,000 calls to more than 93,000 voters.”